Automatic railway-crossing.



PATBNTED OCT. 11, 1904.

G. A. RITZLER. AUTOMATIC RAILWAY CROSSING.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 6, 1904.

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30 MODEL.

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APPLICATION FILED JUNE 6| 1904.

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U m 6 J J UNITED STATES Patented October 11, 1904.

GEORGE ANTHONY RITZLER, OF KENTON, OHIO.

AUTOMATIC RAILWAY-CROSSING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 772,0 1, dated October 11, 1904.

Application filed June 6, 1904. Serial No. 211,385. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE ANTHONY Rrrz- LER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Kenton, in the county of Hardin and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Railway-Grossings; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to automatic railwaycrossings.

It has for its object to provide a crossing of this nature which will allow one track to be normally open for the passage of a train, while the gaps between the rails are adapted to be automatically closed by pivoted sections operated by a train approaching from either direction on the cross-track.

The invention consists in the details of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter described, and more particularly pointed out in the claims concluding this specification.

In the accompanying drawings, illustrating the preferred embodiment of my invention, Figure 1 is a plan view of a section of main track and cross-track equipped with my improved automatic shifting device. Fig. 2 is a sectional view on the line 00 mof Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view on the line 3/ y of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is an enlarged broken side view looking at the weighted lever, part of the main rail being broken away; and Fig. 5 is a plan view with the swing-rails turned to close the gaps in the cross-rails.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, 1 represents the rails of the main track, and 2 2 are the rails of thecross-track. The rails of each track are cut at each side of the crossing, and short sections of rails 3 8 are placed between the tracks, leaving spaces betweenthemselves and the end of the rails of said main and cross tracks. The ends of said short sections of rail and the other rails are out under, as at 4:, and short swing-rails 5 are pivotally mounted on plates 6 in such position that they may be turned to close the gaps in either track. Said swing-rails are stepped, as at 7, to slip under the ends of the main, cross, and sectional rails to prevent said swing-rails from umping out of place when the train passes over'them. Said swing-rails are pivoted to the plates 6, preferably by means of lugs passing through apertures in said plates, where they are headed in any suitable manner.

On each side of the main track and located between the rails of the cross-tracks upon an upright shaft 8, fixed in the ties, a disk 9 is revolubly mounted and has short reaches or rods 10 pivoted near its edge, with their other ends each pivotally connected to one of the swing-rails on its side. A longer reach or bar 11 is also pivoted near the edge of each of said disks 9 and at its end is connected to an upstanding arm 12 of 'a horizontal shaft 13, mounted crosswise of the track below the rails. About below the rail 2 said shaft 13 is provided with another and horizontally-projecting arm or lever 14, carrying a revoluble wheel 14, upon which rests a lug or projection 15 of a trip-rail 16, arranged along the side of the rail 2 between it andanother rail 17 and normally extending a short distance above it. Said trip-rail'is pivoted, as at 17, by means of a pin. 17 b passing through it and the main rail and the rail 17. Said trip-rail is beveled at its pivoted end, which is the end toward the direction of the approach of trains, to permit the Wheels of the locomotive to ride upon said trip-rail to depress the same. the end of the shaft is secured an arm 18, carrying a weight 19 at its end. A rod 20. 011- nects the disks 9 below the ties, so that the operation of one by a train approaching in one direction will operate the other."

The crossing is shown in its normal position in Fig. 1 with the main track open for passage of trains, the trip-rails raised, and the weighted arm down. When a train approaches from either direction on the cross-track, the wheels of the locomotive will strike the ends of the trip-rail on that side about forty feet from the crossing and will gradually depress said rail, forcing down the lever 14:, which turns the shaft 13, raising the weighted lever and actuating the arm 12, bar 11, disks 8, and turning the swing-rails to close the gaps in the cross-tracks, as shown in Fig. 5. The rails will remain in this position until the wheels of the last car of the train have passed off of the trip-rail on the other side of the main track, when the weighted levers will return to their normal position.

I am aware that changes may be made in my invention without departing from the spirit or sacrificing the advantages thereof. I therefore reserve the right to make such changes as fairly fall within the scope of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination with the rails of the main track and those of a cross-track, of pivoted swing-rails having their ends stepped to engage the cut-under ends of the main and cross rails, said swing-rails mounted to revolve and adapted to close the gaps between said main and cross rails and means to automatically turn said swing-rails.

2. The combination with the rails of a main track and those of a cross-track, of pivoted swing-rails adapted to close the gaps in either said main or cross rails, a disk revolubly mounted between the rails of the cross-track, means for connecting said swing-rails to said disk, and means to automatically revolve said disk.

3. The combination with the rails of a main track and those of a cross-track, of pivoted swing-rails adapted to close the gaps in either the rails of said main or cross tracks, a disk revolubly mounted between the rails of the cross-track, a horizontal shaft mounted across the plane of said last-mentioned track and having connected thereto a trip-rail, means for connecting said swing-rails to said disk, means for connecting said disk and shaft and means for normally holding said trip-rail normally above the other rails.

4. The combination with the rails of a main track and those of a cross-track, of pivoted swing-rails adapted to close the gaps in either the rails of said main or cross tracks, revolubly-mounted disks, one arranged on each side of the main track between the rails of said cross-track, rods connected to said swingrails and in pairs to said disks, means for connecting said disks so that they may be operated simultaneously, a shaft arranged across the plane of said cross-tracks, a bar connecting said disk and a crank on said shaft, a triprail connected to another crank on said shaft and means for holding said trip-rail above the other rails.

5. The combination with the rails of a main track and those of a cross-track, of pivoted swing-rails adapted to close the gaps in either the rails of said main or cross tracks, revolubly-mounted disks, one arranged on each side of the main track between the rails of said cross-track, rods connected to said swingrails and in pairs to said disks, means for connecting said disks so that they may be operated simultaneously, shafts, one arranged on each side of said main track and across the plane of said cross-track, bars connecting said disks and cranks on said shafts, trip-rails, one connected to another crank on each of said shafts, and means for normally holding said trip-rails above the other rails.

6. The combination with the rails of a main track and those of a cross-track, of pivoted swing-rails adapted to close the gaps in either the rails of said main or cross tracks, revolubly-mounted disks, one arranged on each 'side of the main track between the rails of said cross-track, rods connected to said swingrails and in pairs to said disks, means for connecting said disks so that they may be oper main track and those of a cross-track, of pivoted swing-rails adapted to close the gaps in either of said main or cross rails, adisk revolubly mounted between the rails of the crosstrack, a horizontal shaft mounted across the plane of said last-mentioned track, means for connecting said disk and track, said shaft having a crank-arm provided with a roller in its end, a trip-rail pivoted to one of the rails of the cross-track and adapted to rest upon said roller, and means for supporting said crankarm to normally hold said trip-rail above the other rails.

8. The combination with the rails of a main track and those of a cross-track, of pivoted swing-rails adapted to close the gaps in either of said main or cross rails, a disk revolubly mounted between the rails of the cross-track, a horizontal shaft mounted across the plane of the last-mentioned track, means for connecting said disk and shaft, a guard-rail, a trip-rail pivoted between said guard-rail and one of the rails of the cross-track, said shaft having a crank-arm connected to said trip-rail, and means for supporting said crank-arm to normally hold said trip-rail above the other rails.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE ANTHONY RITZLER.

WVitnesses:

FRANK RIEGLER, CEDoRE E. JOHNSON. 

